Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
“Jurassic World? Not a fan.” – Dr Ian Malcolm
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Directed by: Colin Treverrow
Written by: Emily Carmichael (screenplay by), Colin Treverrow (screenplay by), Derek Connolly (story by)
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Isabella Sermon
Never underestimate the power of dinosaurs. If this was any other adventure movie, I might feel obligated to highlight the pacing issues, the cheesy dialogue, the overly large cast, and the inclusion of a cookie-cutter socially awkward tech billionaire villain. But then a brontosaurus walks into frame with John William’s iconic score blaring in the background, and I’m transported to the wonder of the first film.
The original Jurassic Park is one of the most important movies ever made. This might sound hyperbolic, but most modern blockbusters owe their incredible visual effects to technology developed on the 1993 classic, and it reaffirmed the box office appeal of high-concept filmmaking. However, like any franchise not named Mission Impossible, the films have been gradually losing their bite. As audiences grow tired of the same old dinosaurs, filmmakers have begun replicating the strategy used in the parks – distracting us with deadlier, scarier dinosaurs while repeating the same old story. The horror roots of the original film are now long gone, replaced by sanitised scenes that can be included in theme-park rides.
However, Jurassic World Dominion deviates from this blueprint by trying something new. Of course, it relies on the old as well, with legacy characters Ellie Sattler (Dern), Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) and Alan Grant (Neill) returning to join Owen Grady (Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard). But this time we’re not in a park, and the dinos are free. Following the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, dinosaurs are now roaming the planet, seamlessly integrating into the animal ecosystem. This has led to debates about animal conservation of an extinct species, while multinational corporation BioSyn claims they can harness ‘dino DNA’ to create meaningful medical advancements. When something gets stolen, our heroes have to chase it down, uncovering BioSyn’s true intentions along the way.
Introducing dinosaurs to the ‘real world’ is an exciting development in the franchise. Originally teased at the end of Jurrasic Park: The Lost World with the T-Rex marching around San Diego, this is on a much grander scale, with real-world tie ins to the ethics of livestock treatment as well as broader endangered animal conservation. Eventually these subtextual elements give way to a helter-skelter fight for survival, but at least Treverrow and Carmichael are trying something fresh. Additionally, because they’re not restricted to a park for the first two acts, it feels more like Indiana Jones with dinosaurs than a traditional Jurassic Park movie. The characters jump from country to country, with one group chasing a stolen item, and one trying to solve a mystery. Dinosaurs occasionally pop up as deterrents or allies, adding to the excitement. Additionally, fans of the original trio will be overjoyed by the easter eggs and references to the older films, and it’s a delight to have the charismatic combination of Dern, Neill and Goldblum bouncing off one another again.
It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, with CGI-heavy action and some unnecessarily slow scenes, but with the cast, score and dinos, this is exactly what I expected from a Jurassic World movie.
Rating: 7/10